by
How do we process your data?
We use cookies to improve your browsing experience and personalize our content. They are mainly used for statistical purposes.
If you've been following our media, you've probably been interested in train travel for ecological reasons (before discovering how much the experience itself was worth!). Chances are, you've already made several decisions to align your lifestyle with your convictions: mobility, food, consumption... But did you know that your money often sabotages these efforts, in spite of yourself? In traditional banks, your money doesn't sleep. All too often, it pollutes. How does it pollute? By financing industries to which you have not given your consent: oil and coal industries, intensive agriculture, large-scale polluting projects...
How about putting your savings to work for the ecological transition? That's what Green-Got is proposing, a financial institution whose mission is to transform the banking sector from the inside (no less)! Maud Caillaux, one of its co-founders, talked about it on our podcast Je t’offre un rail ?. And with good reason: not only does deciding where to put your savings allows you - as with train travel - to considerably reduce your carbon footprint, but Green-Got is also the low-carbon travel finance service par excellence! We'll tell you all about it.
“We've got this idea that our money sleeps in a cellar when we take it to the bank”, Maud Caillaux tells Benjamin. This vision is false. Money deposited in banks does not sleep: it is invested, massively, in industries that have a very heavy environmental impact. In France, the major banks are still heavily financing oil, gas and coal extraction, despite their “carbon neutrality” commitments. According to Reclaim Finance, French banks injected over 350 billion euros into fossil fuels between 2016 and 2022.
So why are we so unaware of the impact of our banks (and therefore our money)? There are many obstacles to enlightened information:
Faced with the scale of the ecological crisis, changing bank may seem anecdotal. Yet moving your money to eco-responsible financial institutions is an incredible means of action.
”5,000 euros deposited in a traditional bank emit an average of 2 tonnes of CO2 per year.” - Maud Caillaux
Just like choosing the train for your travels, placing your money in an account that finances the transition can make a real difference. As with train travel, it's an individual action requiring relatively little effort, but whose effects can be decisive (both for your carbon footprint and for the signal sent to an entire industry). And the good thing is that you can then take concrete action for the climate on a daily basis, without even thinking about it.
Faced with the behemoths of traditional finance, green finance has to prove its economic viability. “When we launched Green-Got, the whole industry laughed in our faces”, recalls Maud. But the tide is turning, and societal pressure is now pushing the big banks to adapt (some are starting to withdraw their investments from fossil fuels). “Green investment isn't philanthropy, it's investing in the companies of tomorrow”, explains Maud. Companies with a low carbon footprint represent real economic opportunities, particularly in transport, renewable energy and sustainable agriculture!
Green finance is therefore a real lever for transformation, even if it still needs to be accompanied by regulatory change and ongoing pressure from the public. For it is by massively redirecting capital that a more viable world can emerge.
To transform the financial sector, Green-Got excludes polluting sectors such as fossil fuels in favor of low-carbon solutions, sustainable infrastructures and ecological innovations. Its investments focus on companies committed to the ecological transition: “We have already invested over 45 million euros in companies such as SNCF, East Japan Railway and Alstom”, explains Maud. By promoting investments in railways, renewable energies and sustainable agriculture, Green-Got is focusing on sectors that are both economically reliable and promising.
Green-Got is committed to ensuring that its customers' money never finances fossil fuel industries. Only 0.4% of all the investments analyzed were selected by their experts because they passed the financial and impact criteria! Part of the monthly subscriptions and interchange fees are also used to finance sustainable projects (supported by associations and international organizations).
In practical terms, Green-Got offers :
By making green finance desirable and accessible, Green-Got hopes to broaden its audience beyond those convinced of the urgency of climate change. The fintech is therefore banking on a pragmatic approach, offering competitive banking services while guaranteeing responsible use of funds. “Our premium card offers more assurances than a Gold card, while guaranteeing a positive impact,” emphasizes Maud.
In practice, Green-Got enables its users to see where their money is invested with complete transparency. The mobile application lets you track the carbon footprint of your spending and your actual contribution to the projects supported.
One question remains: how can we be sure that these investments really fund low-carbon projects? “Money is fungible”, admits Maud. It's impossible to guarantee that every euro invested in the SNCF specifically funds rail development rather than more polluting activities like Keolis' road transport.
That's why Green-Got implements strict selection criteria and relies on experts in sustainable finance to validate its investment choices. “We have an independent scientific committee that evaluates the real impact of our investments and helps us exclude companies that don't meet our criteria”, explains Maud.
And what about travel? If Green-Got is one of our partners, it's not just because the project allows you to reduce your carbon footprint. Green-Got is the financial service par excellence for low-carbon travel:
To find out more about Green-Got, go here. And to get 3 months free with the code “HOURRAIL”, go here!
Issue du monde de la communication et des médias, Sophie est Responsable éditoriale chez HOURRAIL ! depuis août 2024. Elle est notamment derrière le contenu éditorial du site ainsi que La Locomissive (de l'inspiration voyage bas carbone et des bons plans, un jeudi sur deux, gratuitement dans ta boîte mail !).
Convaincue que les changements d’habitude passent par la transformation de nos imaginaires, elle s’attache à montrer qu’il est possible de voyager autrement, de manière plus consciente, plus lente et plus joyeuse. Son objectif : rendre le slow travel accessible à toutes et tous, à travers des astuces, des décryptages et surtout, de nouveaux récits.
